2023 West Texas Team Preview: Sterling City Eagles

Sterling City 2023 Preview   Head Coach: Trey Sisco                          Mascot: Eagles                        Twitter: @SCEAGLESFB; @cris6castro; @marquisj01; @Cruz_D07   Colors: Purple and Gold                                  2022 Record: 7-5 (2nd round, Class 2A, D2 Playoffs)                                      Overview: Sterling City reached the second of the Class 2A, D2 playoffs in just their first season playing 11-man football, having made the jump from 6-man following the 2021 campaign. Employing the flexbone offense, they aim for a deeper run this season.   Six-foot-1 senior quarterback Ty Turner returns after earning Newcomer of the Year honors in the district. Turner brings good size and mobility to the position along with a high football IQ. He rushed for close to 800 yards in 2022. He'll be challenged by junior transfer Cristian Castro, whose family relocated to Sterling City last November. Thus, he hasn't played much for the Eagles but has flashed his dual threat skills at numerous camps this spring and summer.   Since Sterling City runs the flexbone, the running backs promise to stay busy. The top returning RB is senior Johnathan Monreal, who had over 800 yards rushing last season and is considered the best athlete on the team. Monreal also plays free safety on defense. Supporting him will be senior River Kinsey andjunior Seth Turner (Ty's younger brother). That trio should get the bulk of the barriers. Monreal and Kinsey should be the leading receivers from the wingback spots. Tight end Riley Barnes should be an intriguing target.   Seniors Cameron Alexander and Daniel Velez, along with sophomore Cason McCrea, anchor the offensive line. Sophomore Slate Clark looks to move into the starting lineup. Defensively, most of the aforementioned players line up on defense as well. Alexander and Velez will play along the defensive front. Barnes will be one of the linebacker, probably MLB. Turner will move the DE and should bolster the pass rush.   Wink are the defending  district champions. The Wildcats finished 12-1 last season and appear to be strong again. They didn't lose until the third (regional) round of the 2A, D2 playoffs. McCamey was second (9-3) while Sterling City was third. The Eagles hope to move up a spot and compete for the district title in 2023.   2023 Schedule:   Aug. 26 at Odessa Compass Academy (Sat.)   Sept. 1 MILES   Sept. 8 at Abilene TLCA   Sept. 15 ROSCOE   Sept. 22 Bye   Sept. 29 WATER VALLEY*   Oct. 6 McCAMEY*   Oct. 13 at Iraan*   Oct. 20 ELDORADO*   Oct. 27 at Wink*   Nov. 2 Bye   Coach's Comments: “Last year was our first back in 11-man football since about 2008. It was a tough transition mainly we didn't have enough kids to run a JV team. As a result, some of our younger kids didn't get a chance to play as much as we wanted. Many of our kids were learning the game because many of them had never played 11-man football before. So, we had to teach them the game. The hardest part was the offensive and defensive lines. Our skill people are really good. The spring has been good. Our kids have been working hard in the weight room. Our year of experience will help more than anything. Hopefully, our linemen will be better with the blocking techniques since it's so much different from 6-man football. Defensively, we have to use our athleticism and speed.”– Sterling City head coach Try Sisco.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/cris6castro/status/1670789210725310464?s=20 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/marquisj01/status/1647081558644338688 </div></figure>

Sterling City 2023 Preview